Device for inserting heels into ladies&#39; shoes



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DEVICE FOR INSERTING HEELS INTO LADIES SHOES HIS ATTORNEYS.

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Filed Oct, 22, 1949 March 17, 1953 Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR INSERTING HEELS INTO LADIES SHOES Harry W.Alberstein, Clayton, Mo.

Application October 22, 1949, Serial No. 122,898

2 Claims. (01. 12-42) This invention relates to devices for insertingheels into the pocket formed by an insole and heel cover of ladies shoesand comprises a shoe supporting means and means for inserting heels intosaid pocket.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a machine forinserting heels into the pocket formed by an insole and. heel cover ofladies shoes.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanical means forinserting heels into said pocket of ladies shoes in a quick and positivemanner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanical meansoperated by a foot for inserting a heel into said pocket of ladies shoesso that an operator will have his hands free to help smooth the heelcover thereover.

It is the function of this device to aid in the insertion of a heel (ora heel and platform unit) into an unfinished shoe which has a topportion and a heel cover (or a heel and platform unit cover), said heelcover being a thin piece of material which covers the heel after saidheel is inserted into position just beneath an insole.

Some ladies shoes contain a heel only, some a heel and platform in twopieces, and some a heel and platform in a unit. In the past, the variousparts of the shoe were assembled by hand in a variety of ways some ofwhich were as follows:

(1) With heel cover and platform cover up, (with respect to a shoe whosesole faces downwardly) a heel and platform unit was secured to theinsole. The heel cover and the platform cover were then pulled down tocover the heel and platform.

(2) With the heel cover down, and the platform cover up, the heel andplatform unit were driven with a mallet into the cavity formed by theinsole and turned down heel cover. The platform cover was then turneddown.

(3) Using a heel and a platform in separate pieces, the platform wassecured in place. The heel was then inserted and the bridge so formedwas driven out with a mallet.

The present invention substitutes a machine for the hand operationsrequired in method 2 above.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification andwherein like numer als refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the machine with the parts in theirinoperative position,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the machine with the parts intheir inoperative position and with a shoe thereon,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of the machine after thepedal has been depressed, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line 44 in Fig.2.

This invention is shown embodied in a table I supported on legs 2. Asupport 3 is mounted on said table I for holding a supporting plate 4. Aplatform cover turning arm 5 is pivotally mounted on a platform coverturning arm support 6 which is rigidly mounted on said supporting plate4. .A folding roller 1 is adjustably secured to the platform coverturning arm 5 by means of a setscrew 8.

A spindle 9 and an arcuate toe positioning. plate l0 arev rigidlysecured to the supporting plate 4. Heel gripping teeth H are mounted ona heel inserting arm 12 which i pivotally attached to a link US by meansof a pin I4, said link l3 being pivotally attached to a link supportinglug 15 'by means of a lower pin l6 having a modified hairpin spring l1thereover, said link supporting lug l5 being rigidly secured to thesupporting plate 4. A guide roller support l8 having a guide roller I9therein is attached beneath said supporting plate 4.

A platform cover turning arm actuating rod 20 is operatively connectedto the platform cover turning arm 5 and to a pivotally attached pedalarm 2| having a pedal 22 thereon. A heel inserting arm actuating rod 23is operatively connected to the heel inserting arm l2 and to the pedalarm 2|. One end of a spring 24 is connected to the pedal arm 21 and theother end of said spring 24 is connected to a leg 2 of the table I.

In operation, an operator positions an unfinished shoe, which is on alast 25, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, so that a hole 26 in said lastwill fit over the spindle 9 of the device with the heel end of the shoepointing leftwardly and the toe end of the shoe pointing rightwardly (asshown in Fig. 2). Cement may or may not be applied. The operator theninserts a heel 21 into the hollow space formed by the sock lining orinsole 28 and the turned down heel cover 29. The operator then depressesthe pedal 22 with his foot causing the heel inserting arm actuating rod23 to move downwardly from its inoperative position until the heelgripping teeth II meet the surface of the heel 21 thereby encounteringresistance after which time the heel inserting arm actuating rod 23moves downwardly and slightly leftwardly. This drives the heel 21downwardly and rearwardly (with respect to the shoe as shown) into thedesired position. The peda1 22 is then released and returns to itsraised posi- 3 tion by action of the spring 24 and the parts return totheir inoperative position. The last 25 with the shoe thereon is removedfrom said spindle 9, with the hole 26 in the last 25 facing downwardly.The toe end of th shoe placed against the arcuate toe positioning platell] so that the top edge of the arcuate toe positioning plate l slipsinto the peripheral groove formed by the turned up platform cover 30 andthe upper portion of theshoe. The pedal 22 is then depressed moving theplatform cover turning arm actuating rod 20 downwardly causing theplatform cover turning arm 5 to be pivoted downwardly causing thefolding roller 7 attached thereto to engage the platform surface 3|driving it downwardly, thereby causing the platform cover 30 which waslapped over the convex surface of the arcuate toe position plate 10 toslide over said top edge and be turned downwardly (with respect to theshoe) Obviously, the hereinbefore described machine admits ofconsiderable modification without departing from the invention.Therefore I do not "arm having a member thereon for contacting a heel tobe inserted into said pocket, an arm actuating rod operatively connectedthereto between said contacting member and said pin, a

link having one end thereof pivotally connected to said pin, said linkhaving the other end thereof secured to a second pin, said second pinbeing displaced vertically from said first mentioned pin 4 and displacedlaterally therefrom toward said contacting member.

2. A machine for inserting a heel into an unfinished shoe having abottom and a heel cover forming a pocket, said machine comprising a shoeholding member, an arm pivotally mounted on a pin, said arm havinggripping teeth thereon for contacting the bottom surface of a heel to beinserted into said pocket, an arm actuating rod operatively connected tosaid arm at a point between said gripping teeth and said pin, a linkhaving one end thereof pivotally connected to said pin, said link havingthe other end thereof secured to a second pin, said second pin beingpositioned below said first mentioned pin and displaced laterallytherefrom toward said gripping teeth, resilient means operativelysecured to said link, a pedal operatively connected to said armactuating rod for operating said machine, said resilient means beingsecured with respect to said link for keeping said link in its normalinoperative position until a predetermined resistance is encountered bysaid gripping teeth when said pedal is actuated.

HARRY W. ALBERSTEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patenti UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 872,318 Pym Nov. 26,1907 1,757,163 Bertrand May 6, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country' 7Date 582,500 France Oct. 16, 1924

